Screen Like the NFL:

Recruit Great Salespeople

With a Best Practice System

By: Lance Cooper

The NFL screens high-profile college athletes for speed, quickness, agility,
mental aptitude, and other important traits relative to their positions. The
NFL Combine with its statistical history for vertical jumps, 40 yard dash,
bench press, aptitude tests, and interviews greatly increases the chances
for excellent player selection. And, these are just a few of their screening
tools. With a multi-million dollar investment on the line, owners make sure
that due diligence occurs in the screening for new NFL players.

In great sales teams, the same situation exists. Each new recruit
represents thousands and perhaps millions of dollars in corporate
revenue. And, one recruit impacts morale, production, and the retention of
other salespeople and fellow employees.

The sobering thought ... coaches know that ultimately the best players get
the job done on the playing field ... and, they help them keep their jobs.

For these fiscal reasons, great sales managers take their candidates
through some initial examination steps (Stage One: Screening). They
screen by resume, by phone, by email, and perhaps face-to-face for 3-6
personality and character traits. The typical traits they screen for include:
goal-orientation, social drive (for prospecting), social confidence (for
prospecting, asking hard questions, presenting), and important character
attributes: honesty, hard work ethic, and personal responsibility. This
keeps them from spending additional recruiting dollars and interviewing
time on candidates who cannot pass initial screening.

Problem ... Resume reviews and reference checking alone are worth
less than 4% in making good hiring decision.

After screening candidates, some candidates make it to Stage Two:

Profiling. In this stage, validated profiles are used to screen for the critical
personality traits which contribute to doing important sales tasks - sales
competencies. Also, just as in the NFL, mental aptitude is measured as
well. How fast will they learn product information, paperwork requirements,
marketing information, etc. for ramp up to minimum production.
Scientifically validated profiles, especially ones with built in lie detectors,
help isolate the traits. They are worth, in predictive measurement, between
20-50% in making a good hiring decision.

THREE PROBLEMS WITH PROFILES

Problem #1: Many profiles are not validated.

Problem #2: Many profiles are hard to understand and very general in
their reported measurements. While true, they are hard to use. Accurate
information is presented in a difficult and hard to apply format.

Problem #3: Sales managers have very little practical experience with
profiles, or have had a negative experience with them. They are not
comfortable with how to use them.

The recruiting funnel, at its finish, narrows into the final stage - Stage 3:
Interviewing. This stage may provide at least 16% of the information
necessary to make a good hiring decision - if structured interviews are
used (structured toward the sales position's competencies, personality
traits, attitudes and beliefs). It is also the stage in which we get the
participation of other team members in separate discussions and
interviews.

INTERVIEW PROBLEM

Problem: Most sales managers do interviews that are not structured to

screen for the 3-6 critical traits. They also do not ask the same questions
to every candidate and then score out their responses. An unstructured
interview is worth less than 4% toward making a good hiring decision -
some experts say less than 2%.

An outstanding RECRUITING SYSTEM finds great salespeople ...

Use multiple sources for an adequate flow of candidates. Recruit with a

three stage funnel in the order outlined above: Screening, Profiling,
Interviewing, and do so with a sharp focus on critical competencies, traits,
attitudes and beliefs.

As you become more proficient with the process, and its tools and skills,
your selection will improve. Just like the NFL, you will use proven selection
methods to separate the best from the rest - to find salespeople suited for
the challenges they will face.

To impact ramp up time, first year production, and retention, recruit the
best. Learn the skills. Use the tools. Follow the process.

What's next? After hiring, the ramp up period and coaching process
become important. And, that's a message for another time. For now,
Recruit the Best ... and later we'll discuss Coaching the Best. Do Great.
Lance.

L a n c e C o o p e r, P r e s i d e n t , S a l e s M a n a g e S o l u t i o n s ( h t t p : / /
www.salesmanage.com/blog) "Recruit and Coach the Best" We coach
sales executives, sales managers, and entrepreneurs to Recruit and then
Coach the Best salespeople. We want our clients to lower turnover and
increase first year production from new recruits and overall sales team
production. Please visit the blog above and then the rest of our site.
Contact me at lcooper@salesmanage.com.